Very enlightening....

It has been quite a learning experience while I have been here. I went to a seminar on Mathematics education in Japan. They teach things similarly to the way we do in the states - however, they are facing problems that they shared with us today. The concern is that children are not enjoying Math and Science. In Japan there is a pressure to be in the best schools. The only way to be in these school is to score high in testing. It is considered shameful in this country if you cannot read. Status is connected to education. Where they are having problems is what if a particular child is not gifted in Math - yet has other talents that need to be fostered. The children grow up thinking that if they are not in the higher level Math courses - then they are stupid. In High School they offer Math 1 and Mathematics Foundation. The Math 1 is the advanced Math. Less then 10% of students attend the Math Foundation classes. It is not because they are all extremely smart, it is because they do not want to shame themselves. Therefore, children are taking a higher level math and not understanding the concepts. Children in Japan are not enjoying school. We hear all the time that the Japanese are so much ahead of us - but if you really look at the entire picture, that is not the case. There is such a desire to be Americanized over here. The older generation wants things to remain within the culture, and the new generation is trying to make changes. It is a very interesting time in Japan......

I also learned about the custom of fortunes. The Japanese have temples all around the country. At the temples there is an area where you can get your fortune. You put some money in a slot and draw a stick from a can. The stick tells you which drawer to select your fortune from. Then if you have a good fortune, you keep it. If it is bad, you tie it to a rack that is close to the area and your luck will change. A lot of my friends were receiving bad fortunes. Mine was good!

I am off to bed. We are doing museums and such tomorrow. Hope all is well!